Sunbeam – The Supreme Car 1899 – 1935

Author: Bruce DowellPublisher: Landmark Publishing Ltd

John Marston, the man who started it all was born in Ludlow in 1836, of a minor landowning family, and was sent, aged 15, to Wolverhampton to be apprenticed to Edward Perry, a japanware manufacturer. At the age of 23 he left and set up his own japanning business, making any and every sort of domestic item, after purchasing Daniel Smith Lester's factory in Lester Street, Bilston. Perry died in 1869, and John did so well that in 1871, he took over his company and incorporated it into his own. He started making Sunbeam bicycles, with great success and on the suggestion of his wife Ellen, adopted the brand name "Sunbeam". In the late 1890s his right-hand man, Thomas Cureton, persuaded him to consider building a car. They drew up a specification for an experimental vehicle and work began on the prototype in 1899.Within a few years the company were producing large numbers of high quality cars and went on to become one of Wolverhampton's largest employers.

Written by the leading authority on Sunbeam cars, this book combines over 500 illustrations of virtually every model of car produced by the Sunbeam Motor Company at their works in Wolverhampton. There are over 50,000 words describing the models, a considerable achievement given that practically no company records survive. This book is the ultimate photographic record of Sunbeam cars ever produced by the original company. It will be of interest to enthusiasts of vintage motoring and its history, let alone Sunbeam owners and enthusiasts.